LOS ANGELES, CA.- Julien’s Auctions has announced Icons & Idols: Sports 2016, an unprecedented collection of sports memorabilia to be offered at auction on Saturday, December 3rd, 2016. The auction will feature the Howard Bingham Muhammad Ali Collection and PELÉ: The Collection Part II during two sessions to be held at the Julien’s Auctions Los Angeles Gallery.

The Howard Bingham Muhammad Ali Collection is one of extraordinary historical significance. Bingham, one of the most noted sports photographers of the past 50 years and a biographer of Muhammad Ali, was also Ali’s best friend. After attaining one of his first photography positions at the Los Angeles Sentinel newspaper, Bingham met a young Cassius Clay (later to become Muhammad Ali) when he was assigned to cover him for a story in 1962. The two had an instant rapport, which would be the beginning of what would turn into a lifelong friendship. Bingham would travel the world with Ali, photographing him along the way and capturing some of the most iconic images of Ali that the world has ever seen. Bingham’s photographs have been published in newspapers, magazines, periodicals and books including Life, Look, Time, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, People, Ebony and many others.

In 1993, Bingham released his own book about Ali titled Muhammad Ali: A Thirty-Year Journey. Bingham also contributed a large number of his images to the 2004 Taschen book G.O.A.T. – A Tribute to Muhammad Ali.

Bingham captured iconic images of Ali and amassed an incredible memorabilia collection of artifacts pertaining to the three-time Heavyweight Champion over the course of their friendship.

Highlights of the Howard Bingham Muhammad Ali collection include one of Ali’s passports, signed twice by Ali and used for travel during Ali’s heyday in the mid-1970’s (Estimate: $8,000-$12,000); photographs and boxing gloves signed by both Ali and former South African President Nelson Mandela (Estimate: $6,000-$8,000); documents and artifacts pertaining to Ali’s participation in the 1996 Summer Olympic Torch Relay including a 1996 Summer Olympics Torch signed by Ali (Estimate: $8,000-$12,000); and numerous drawings that Ali would create for Bingham in his own hand featuring many different subjects with a notable drawing by Ali of one of his fights versus Joe Frazier (Estimate: Various). An extremely unique item in the collection is a tablecloth taken from a dinner with actor John Travolta. Ali drew numerous different images on the table cloth after the conclusion of the dinner, and then, once completed signed the tablecloth, with Travolta adding his signature (Estimate: $10,000-$15,000). A portion of the proceeds of the sale of the Howard Bingham Muhammad Ali Collection will be donated to the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

Icons & Idols: Sports 2016 will also feature additional Muhammad Ali memorabilia including the gloves that Muhammad Ali wore in his December 7, 1970, fight against Oscar Bonavena (Estimate: $60,000-$80,000), two pairs of boxing trunks worn by Ali while training for his fights (Estimate: $10,000-$20,000), a mouth guard worn for his 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle” fight versus George Foreman (Estimate: $5,000-$7,000), and a pair of gloves worn by Ali, then named Cassius Clay, in bouts when he was a n amateur boxer, with the gloves originating from the estate of Sugar Ray Robinson (Estimate: $40,000-$50,000).

Other boxing highlights include the boxing trunks worn by Evander Holyfield for his first fight against Mike Tyson that was held on November 9, 1996, in which Holyfield defeated a heavily-favored Tyson by technical knockout in the 11th of 12 rounds (Estimate: $10,000-$15,000), and fight worn trunks from Sugar Ray Robinson from his fight with Jackie Cailleau in Nice, France, on October 24, 1964. Robinson would win the fight in a decision after 10 rounds (Estimate: $10,000-$15,000).

Pelé: The Collection – Part 2 will also be offered at Icons & Idols: Sports 2016 at Julien’s Auctions. This collection of memorabilia is from the personal collection of the world’s greatest and most iconic football player — Pelé. Highlights include trophies and medals awarded to Pelé in 1958 after leading the Brazil national football team to victory in the 1958 World Cup final; a Santos FC jersey worn by Pelé in a match versus Chelsea FC in 1971 (Estimate: $8,000-$10,000); a 1969 Brazil national football team jersey signed by all members of the team that would eventually go on to victory in the 1970 World Cup (Estimate: $4,000-$6,000); and Pelé’s personal passports used for travel around the globe (Estimate: $2,000-$3,000). There will also be a wide selection of trophies, medals and certificates awarded to Pelé over his career, as well as personal effects and artifacts, and many signed items from the greatest footballer in history.

The auction also features hundreds of other items from legendary to current stars of sports. It will also include two 1950 FIFA World Cup Winner’s Medals from members of the 1950 World Cup Champion Uruguay national football team (Estimate: $20,000-$30,000. Match-worn jerseys will be featured in the auction from legendary footballers Eusébio, Diego Maradona, Zico, Michel Platini, Zinedine Zidane and David Beckham, and current stars Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar (Estimate: Various); Eddie Murray’s 1977 Baltimore Orioles rookie year game worn (Estimate: $8,000-$12,000); a collection of items from Los Angeles Dodgers long-time broadcaster Vin Scully; torches used in Olympic relays starting with a torch used in the 1936 Summer Olympics, the first of its kind (Estimate: $8,000-$10,000), to the most recent of relays for the 2016 Summer Olympics (Estimate: $2,000-$3,000) and much more.

Basketball, NFL Football, Baseball, and Formula I Racing representing legendary athletes around the globe will give collectors the opportunity to bid on sports history like never before.